I don’t think there has ever been a running shoe that has been surrounded by as much speculation, fake images and conteos as the Nike Zoom Fly product line. It’s not a coincidence that there has been so much speculation, as the Nike Zoom Fly 5 running shoe has been available for two years now, it hasn’t been perfect, many have been waiting for the new version to be released with all the bugs fixed and now finally here is the Nike Zoom Fly 6.
The Zoom Fly product line is designed by Nike for fast training and race preparation. It’s more comfortable, more durable, but heavier and slower than its race-ready siblings the Vaporfly and Alphafly.
I don’t know what the Zoom Fly 5 owes its popularity to, because after version 4 I think it was a step backwards, but version 6 seems to correct the faults of version 5.
It will be available in stores from 1 November, and I hope to test it as soon as possible, but in the meantime, here’s what the shoe can do, what’s officially known about it (these are no longer guesses).
Nike Zoom Fly 6
One of the most important changes is that the weight of the men’s version has been reduced from 304 grams to 265 grams, which is a significant reduction, especially considering the midfoot has been made 2mm higher.
Almost whole of the midsole of the Nike Zoom Fly 6 is made of ZoomX foam and midsole 42mm at the heel with an 8mm drop. Like its predecessor, the midsole is not just ZoomX foam, as it also includes a “carrier foam” called SR-02. The previous version included this foam, which was a frame for the soft, lightweight, dynamic ZoomX foam, and some reviewers said it “spoiled” the shoe a bit. I’m not judging, this foam does take away from the dynamics, but it also adds stability, which is an important feature for an everyday running shoe.
The midsole of the Nike Zoom Fly 6 of course has a carbon plate, it’s got the FlyPlate carbon plate that Nike is known for in their running shoes. The other flaw of the previous version 5 was that the curved carbon plate went very “deep” at the forefoot and the foam underneath was just the thin and stiffer SR-02 EVA foam, so it became quite stiff and didn’t give enough power and dynamics. There’s no data yet on whether this has changed in the new Nike Zoom Fly 6, but let’s be optimistic, maybe the reason for the higher sole was just that.
The outsole has also changed a lot, it has bigger cutouts, the shape and layout is more like the outsole of a race-day shoe, but it has a thicker and deeper pattern so it feels more durable and Nike says it has good traction (it didn’t have a problem with that before).
The upper is made of a two-layer mesh fabric with good breathability and is more comfortable than the race-day Vaporfly and Alphafly, so extended wear shouldn’t be a problem.
The good news is that the Nike Zoom Fly 6 will be no more expensive than its predecessor, with the same suggested retail price of $170.
